Knowing Mr Spencer
by Mrs. George Eads
Summary: Sara, Catherine and Warrick's connected case is getting stranger and stranger. Meanwhile, Sara questions Grissom's work ethic, a vistor from Nick's past returns and Jen is back at work. **UPDATED 2/20/03**
1. Default Chapter

Title: Knowing Mr. Spencer  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: I do not know the cast, crew, or writing staff of CSI. The main characters, except for Jennifer Grissom, belong to Anthony Zuiker, executive producer of C.S.I: Crime Scene Investigation and CBS. The character of Jennifer Grissom, belongs solely to the writer of this fan fiction.  
  
Info: This story is a continuation from "Ties That Bind" and "Secrets", also located on this site.  
  
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"My ankles are swollen, I'm retaining water and I'm bitchy." Jennifer complained. "Catherine, please tell me you went through the same thing."  
  
"Of course I did. But I wasn't a big as you." She joked.  
  
"I swear I'm carrying a horse." She pointed as she looked down at her huge stomach. "But you know, I like this desk duty. I'm not walking around as much, which is awesome."  
  
"So, what does Nick think about this?" Catherine inquired.  
  
"Well, it depends on what you ask about. He loves talking to him or her. He finds it hilarious that he can rest his beer can on my stomach. But he doesn't like it when I take up the bed and hog the covers and blankets."  
  
"Men are always like that." Catherine commented.  
  
"Yeah." Jennifer laughed. She was sitting there quietly looking at the DNA reports and the file folder of the case that she and Catherine were working on. "Cath, do you have the... Oh god." Jennifer blurted out.  
  
"What? Jen, what's wrong." Catherine asked perched over the desk.  
  
Jennifer looked down. "My water broke." Jennifer went to get up, but Catherine sat her back down.  
  
"Okay, just do your breathing and I'll go get the car okay." Catherine picked her keys from her purse that was sitting under the desk.  
  
"Don't forget to call Nick." Jennifer shouted as she ran down the hallway.  
  
"Call Nick about what?" Warrick asked as he stopped at the door.  
  
"Umm..." Jennifer began then let out a scream as the pain surged through her body.  
  
"Oh god. Let me help you. Where's Catherine?" He asked as he helped her up.  
  
"Outside..ahhh.. getting the car." She slowly walked with Warrick to the Tahoe parked outside. "There's a mess in the office."  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'll get Greg to clean it up." Warrick joked, but was rebutted by a look from Jennifer. "Sorry. I'll get someone to clean it."  
  
  
  
The Tahoe came to a screeching halt in front of the emergency room doors. Catherine parked the car and helped her out. She could barely walk as the pain was surging even more through her body. "We need some help here!" She called as they got to the nurse's station. 


	2. A new life

Nick came speeding down the hallway and skidded to a stop when Grissom stepped out from the room. "What did I miss?" He asked frantically.  
  
"Well. Why don't you find out for yourself." Grissom smiled.  
  
"Come on Gil. How is Jennifer?"  
  
"She's fine Nick. Why don't you go in there and find out for yourself." Grinning, Grissom stepped aside from the doorway gesturing his arm into the room.  
  
Nick glanced at the door and then back at Grissom before finally stepping inside Jennifer's hospital room. It was a slow walk, which seemed like it took hours to finally reach her. He got to the edge of the curtain when he peered around and saw the most amazing sight a man could ever see. There sitting up, with the sun shining on her face, Jennifer was holding their baby wrapped up in a blanket.  
  
Jennifer looked up from their baby and smiled. "Hey you. Somebody here wants to see you."  
  
He was speechless. He could feel the tears forming in his eyes, but rapidly blinked them away. He stepped closer and peered over the blanket that was covering the infants face.  
  
"We have a daughter Nick." Jennifer said quietly. Nick was taken aback and fell onto the bed. He ran his hand through his hair and smiled.  
  
"I've got a baby girl?" He asked. Jennifer nodded. "Can I?" He asked nodding at the little girl.  
  
Jennifer smiled and gently handed the baby over to Nick. The tiny baby moved in his arms and she shifted around to get comfortable. He couldn't believe it. There he was, holding the daughter, the tiny baby that Jennifer carried inside of her for nine months. 'I helped make this baby.' Nick thought to himself. "Does she have a name?" He asked still looking at his daughter.  
  
"Not yet. I thought we should name her together. But I do have a few names in mind." Jennifer said yawning as she put her head back on the pillow, tired from the quick labor.  
  
"Lay it on me." Nick spoke as he gently moved the blanket away from their daughters' face and she grabbed his finger.  
  
Jennifer brushed the hair way from her face and sighed contently. "Well I was thinking Emily as a first name and Elizabeth as a second name." She paused looking at Nick who was still looking at his daughter with amazement.  
  
"It's perfect." He said. "She's perfect." He turned around to face Jen. "Thank you so much for giving me this beautiful little girl. And I'm sorry I had to miss her being born."  
  
"Nick it's okay. Our jobs are time consuming and I understand. My dad has everything on tape so you can see it. I didn't want you to miss it. And you're welcome, but thank you for Emily. It wouldn't have been possible with out you, you know." Jennifer snickered.  
  
"Well that I know." He paused. "I'm good aren't I?" Nick laughed.  
  
"You're wonderful." Jennifer smiled and sighed as she looked on to Emily with Nick beside her. 


	3. Homecoming

"So Jenn. Now that Emily is here, have you and Nick thought about getting married?" Catherine asked as she helped Jennifer pack her stuff. It was time to go home, and leave this hospital.  
  
"We've talked about it, yes. But we've decided that we're gonna put that on hold for a while. We're going to be parents first, then we're going to be husband and wife."  
  
"Life is gonna get busy for you. Trust me." Catherine snickered. "You may think Emily is nothing but tiny now. Just wait. One year will fly by and she'll be tearing up the house before you know it."  
  
Catherine and Jennifer shared a good laugh as Nick entered. "Are you ready to go home now?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around Jen and gave her a kiss.  
  
"Of course I am." She smiled as Nick let go. "I can't wait to get out of this place and finally go home. You got Emily?" She asked.  
  
"Yes ma'am." Nick smiled as he picked up a sleeping Emily in her car seat and the four of them proceeded out of the room.  
  
"Greg. What are you doing here?" Jennifer asked as they ran into him in the hallway.  
  
"Where are you going? I was just coming to see you guys." He said holding a bouquet of flowers. "These are for you and Emily." Greg smiled as he handed them to Jennifer.  
  
"Aww, thank you Greg. They're pretty. We're on our way home." She announced.  
  
"Dang." He snapped his finger as he walked along side Jennifer and Nick. "Is that Emily?" He asked.  
  
"Sure is." Nick said as he looked down at his daughter who was sucking her thumb in her sleep. "You can come over if you'd like?"  
  
"Nah, it's okay. I'll let Jen have her time with Emily, then I'll come over. But thanks for the offer." Greg looked at the clock as they passed it. "I gotta fly to the Lab. Talk to you guys later." Greg said and looked down at Emily. "Get big soon, so they I can teach you how to play video games. Unkie Greg is better that your dad." Greg boasted.  
  
"Ha! You'll never beat me." Nick smirked.  
  
"Keep tell yourself that Nick." Greg snickered as he turned and walked down the opposite hallway. "Keep tell yourself that!" He shouted as he left.  
  
  
  
"So you saw her?" Sara asked Warrick as they sat in the break room awaiting their assignments.  
  
"Oh yeah and she is so cute. She's got black hair and brown eyes, just like Nick. But looks exactly like Jennifer. The spitting image." Warrick beamed.  
  
"Actually, I'd say she looks just like me." Grissom smiled, leaning against the door frame. "And she's going to be an entomologist just like grandpa." He paused as Sara and Warrick snickered. "And now, here are your assignments." He handed two pieces of papers to Warrick and one to Sara.  
  
Sara looked at her assignment and then to Warrick, then back at Grissom. "Gris, are you sure you want me to work this one? I mean it would suit Warrick more better." She grinned wickedly.  
  
"No, because it will distract Warrick." Grissom smiled. "And we need to have this done." He let out a small chuckle.  
  
"Let me see that." Warrick said as he snatched the paper out of Sara's hand. He studied the paper carefully before he spoke. "Aw man. I definitely have the wrong end of this case." He bellowed.  
  
"Alas. Poor Warrick." Grissom sighed as he walked out of the break room and down the hallway.  
  
"Well, I think it's best." Sara announced. "You'll be drooling all over the exotic dancers anyway." Sara smiled as she grabbed her bag and headed out the door.  
  
"All I got is a dead ice cream vendor." Warrick muttered to himself. "What? Some kid didn't like the fudgeicle he got?" He whined to no one in particular but himself, as he himself, grabbed his jacket and headed to the Tahoe, kit in hand. 


	4. Babies and Corpses

"So, what do we have O'Reily?" Sara asked as she entered dressing room of the Hilton.  
  
"Tina LaCross, twenty-four of Las Vegas. One of her fellow dancers found her here, lying on the floor." O'Reily said as he checked his note book.  
  
"She's been strangled." Sara said snapping picture of the corpse. "Ligature marks on her neck. The way the marks are impressed into the body, looks like a rope, maybe." She snapped a few more pictures. "No signs of forced entry, the suspect either walked right in or was let in."  
  
"There's a key pad on the door." O'Reily pointed out as he pointed to the outside of the door.  
  
"So there is." Sara said smugishly. "Now my theory changes. The person who killed this girl, was either let in, or..." Sara trailed off.  
  
"Or works here." O'Reily added.  
  
  
  
"Hey Jenn!" Nick said as he walked down the hallway towards the nursery. "I don't know what kinda of diapers Emily needs, so I bought one of every kind in her size." Nick said as he opened the door. "Whoa!" Nick said caught off guard by Jennifer breast feeding their daughter. "Shoulda knocked." Nick blushed as he put the arm full of diapers down on the ground next to the crib.  
  
"Oh come on Nick." Jennifer laughed. "It's not like you haven't seen them." She commented as she turned her attention back to their daughter who was half asleep while feeding.  
  
"I was just, caught off guard. That's all." He smirked. "Did you know there are ten kinds of diapers at the store. Different styles, different makes, different Sesame Street patterns on them. It took me forever, so I gave up and bought them all. So we're stalked up for a while, until the next diaper run." He paused. "We do have enough diapers, don't we?"  
  
"We should be good for two or three weeks." Jennifer said as Emily let go.  
  
"Two or three weeks?" Nick exclaimed. "How many diapers can one little baby go through?"  
  
"Why don't you call your mom and ask how many you went through?" Jennifer laughed as she placed Emily's head on her shoulder and began to gently pat her back. "Babies go through at least ten diapers a day. Maybe even more. We'll just have to find out, won't we dear?" She smiled.  
  
"Did I forget to mention how expensive they are?" Nick said as he gently stroked Emily's bald little head as Emily stretched with all her might. "Getting all the kinks out, aren't you?" He sighed. "Well you stretch all you want. You've been cramped up in a small little place for such a long time, you do all the stretching you want." He smiled as he kissed her head. "I don't feel like cooking dinner tonight, would you like take out?" Nick asked.  
  
"Sure." Jennifer said as she rocked slowly back and forth. "What did you have in mind?"  
  
"Pizza, Italian, Chinese." Nick threw off some ideas.  
  
"Oh..." Jennifer moaned. "Pizza. I haven't had that in a long time." She said. "Now I can finally have pizza."  
  
"Will that be three or four pizza?" Nick snickered as Jennifer chucked a pillow at him. "Okay, okay. No need to get violent." He laughed. "Usual toppings? Or do you still have those wacky cravings?" He eyed her carefully.  
  
"The usual. And you can rest easily Mr. Stokes. Those cravings are gone. But, I would like some pickles and ice cream." She grinned wildly.  
  
"Are you serious?" Nick asked.  
  
"No. Just kidding. I'll be out once I put Emily down." She smiled as Nick left and headed for the living room.  
  
  
  
"Damn." Warick said as he walked over to Brass. "I thought I was able to munch on something while canvassing the crime scene." He laughed. "But I see all the ice cream melted."  
  
"What a shame." Brass said in his dry humor which was always amusing. Warrick Brown, meet Carl Spencer."  
  
"Why does that name sound familiar?" Warrick said as he got closer to the stiff body.  
  
"That's because Las Vegas PD has been looking for him. He's wanted for the big casino heist that took place last year." Brass informed the CSI.  
  
"Well, his luck just ran out. Because we found him. And now, you've got a problem." Warrick said examining the area around Mr. Spencer.  
  
"What's that?" Brass asked.  
  
"He's dead, and you can't arrest dead people." 


	5. Deadly Killer

"What can you tell me about Tina, Dr. Robbins?" Sara asked as she paced around the body in the morgue.  
  
"Definite signs of strangulation, but there's something else that this body is hiding." Al Robbins pointed out as he grabbed a container from the side table. "This holds her stomach contents."  
  
"What's so special about that?" Sara asked, raising one eyebrow.  
  
"It's what I found. And I think it's very interesting." He paused. "What do you think of cyanide?" He asked.  
  
"Dangerous and a killer." Sara added. "Why?"  
  
"That's what was in her stomach. I sent blood work to Greg, and he'll probably find it too."  
  
"So, she ingested it." Sara asked.  
  
"More than likely. She probably didn't even know she was ingesting it." Dr. Robbins added.  
  
"So. Tina, probably either ate it, or drank it." Sara said with her hands folded across her chest. "Thank you Dr. Robbins." She smiled.  
  
"Any time." He said as Sara walked out.  
  
  
  
"Hey Gil." Nick said as he stood at the front door. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"What? I'm not allowed to visit?" He asked. "May I come in?"  
  
"Of course." Nick said stepping aside.  
  
"Is my grand-daughter awake?" He asked, walking along side Nick.  
  
"Nope. Jen put her down about ten minutes ago. She's in the bedroom getting her pajamas on." Nick said as Grissom sat down on the couch. "Would you like anything to drink?" He offered.  
  
"No thank you." Grissom smiled as Jennifer came out from the bedroom. "Hello my daughter."  
  
"Hello my father." Jennifer smiled as she leaned down to give her dad a kiss. "What brings you to this area of the neighborhood?"  
  
"I'm here to see how you're doing and my little Emily. But Nick told me that she's sleeping."  
  
"Peacefully and soundly. I'm sorry she's not up." Jennifer said sitting next to Grissom.  
  
"It's alright. I can see her another time. Babies sleep and a lot. You slept all the time. I was wondering if you'd ever wake up." He smiled remembering the time when Jennifer was little.  
  
Jennifer let out a little laugh. "Well, maybe she's going to take after me."  
  
"She already looks like you. No offence Nick." Grissom laughed.  
  
"None taken." Nick said as he sat down. "So, what's new in the land of CSI?"  
  
"Sara and Warrick are working on a case, Catherine is at a seminar on DNA profiling and I'm just supervising as usual. By the way, they all say hi."  
  
"I'll be back next week." Nick added. "I just wanted to stay home for a week with Jen and Emily."  
  
"That's understandable." Grissom said as his pager went off. "Excuse me." He said. Grissom read the message then stood up. "I'm sorry to cut this visit short, but I've got to get back to the lab. I'll stop by sometime this week." He leaned in and gave Jennifer a kiss on the cheek and shook Nick's hand. "And tell Emily that I love her and I'll see her soon." He smiled and walked out to his Tahoe parked in the driveway. 


	6. Bling, Bling

"Poisoned then choked." Sara said. "I don't get it. Why not just poison her?" She questioned looking up at the ceiling in the conference room. "But along with poisoning her, he also choked her. I don't get it."  
  
"Sometimes, criminals do things that we can't understand or explain." Grissom began. "Maybe it was about control. He needed to control her and he did that by poisoning her with the cyanide then wanted to let go of her so he strangled her. This Sara, we need to fully understand, so we can close this case."  
  
"There has to be something more to this. There's something that I'm missing here. I can feel it." Sara sighed then slouched back into the chair.  
  
"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to slouch?" Grissom smirked.  
  
"My mother isn't here right now." Sara retorted back. "But thank you for pointing that out," she smirked, "but right now I need to go solve a very weird case."  
  
"Poor Sara." Grissom bellowed. "You need a vacation." He smiled as she stopped at the doorway.  
  
"Do I ever. And, it better be a nice one. With a week of, no disturbances, no phone calls, no pages, just me, myself and I. Not to mention my television and flannel pajamas." She winked then went on her merry way.  
  
  
  
"How many times have you watching this video?" Jennifer asked Nick as she slipped into bed next to him.  
  
"I lost count after twenty." He smiled his eyes not leaving the TV screen and one arm around Jen. He pulled her closer. "I wish I could have been there."  
  
"Me too. Things happen, and don't think that I'm mad at you for not being there, because I'm not." Jennifer smiled.  
  
"All that matters is that Emily is here with us. And I promise you, that the next time we have a baby, I will be there and I will not miss it for anything. If I have to speed through red lights, I will do so. I love you so much." He paused and kissed the top of her head. "And I also promise you this. I promise you that soon we will get married. Deal?" He snickered.  
  
"Deal." Jennifer said as she rested her head against Nick's shoulder and quickly fell asleep.  
  
  
  
  
  
"So, if he's on the run from LVPD, why the hell is he here?" Warrick questioned Catherine who was now helping him with the Carl Spencer case.  
  
"Have you ever heard about Grissom's theory?" She paused. "The one where criminals do stupid things. Well, this is one of them." She flipped through Carl Spencers' long list of crimes in his file that Brass loaned. "You know what Vegas does to people."  
  
"Yeah. Picture that." Warrick snickered. "Hook, line and sinker. Pulls you in and never lets you go." Warrick clicked furiously on his computer. "Hey Cath. Take a look at this." He smiled. "Baby girl has got some definite chub."  
  
Catherine wheeled her chair over. "Is that Emily?" Warrick nodded. "Aww, that is so cute. And her first bath. I'm surprised she wasn't screaming and whaling." Catherine's eyes sparkled at the sight of her fellow co-workers' baby. "She is so cute. I remember the first night I brought Lindsey home, I did not want to let her go." She smiled. "Save those pictures, will ya?"  
  
"No doubt." Warrick tapped some keys and turned his attention back to Catherine. "Now, getting back. Let's run it this way. He gets a large bank roll, from, where ever he was before he came back to Vegas. Bling, bling, money ain't a thing. So, he either hops on a plane or drives on out here. Plays the slots, maybe owes some dues and thinks, no worries. But then, tick, tock. His luck just ran out. Bang. One shot in the head, his killer, plants him in a ice cream truck, takes of with his dues, he's happy. He's got his bling."  
  
Catherine nodded and smiled in amazement. "Nice theory Warrick. I couldn't have thought of a better one myself."  
  
"It was nothing. Just rolled off the top of my head." He grinned wildly, with a apple, in return, being chucked at him from a laughing Catherine. 


	7. Diamonds are a girls best friend

"This is where he was staying." Warrick said as he used the electronic key card to open Mr. Spencer's hotel room. The door swung open, and both criminalists stepped inside.  
  
"Pretty posh." Catherine said. "He was rolling in the dough, that's for sure." She kneeled down beside her field kit and donned a pair of latex gloves. "If this was a hit, why didn't he change his name atthe front desk?"  
  
"Maybe he didn't have time to." Warrick said. "He probably was going to, when he got killed."  
  
"True. Or," Catherine paused and surveyed the room. "Maybe he didn't want to."  
  
"Think we'll find anything?" Warrick asked.  
  
"Not unless his killer came back and cleaned up." Catherine said taking out the luminol.  
  
"We'll find something." Warrick said smugly. "We always do."  
  
  
  
"Hey Greg." Sara said as she walked into the lab. "Got your page. What do you have for me?"  
  
"Your poison." Greg said handing Sara the print-out. "And once again, Greg Sanders comes through for you with the case braker."  
  
"We'll see about that." Sara grinned. Her eyes scanned the sheet of paper. "Nail polish remover?"  
  
"Yes, but that's not it." Greg said smirking. "Here's your second chemical."  
  
"You've got to be kidding me." Sara exasperated and rushed out of the room.  
  
"You're welcome!" Greg waved to an absent Sara.  
  
  
  
"Well, I found our blunt object." Catherine spoke as she walked towards her collegue.  
  
"Marble book end." Warrick said studying the piece. "I've got one just like that. But I actually use mine for my book ends." He joked.  
  
"It's cleaned, but I'll check it for blood." Catherine walked over to her kit, grabbed a swab and the leucomalachite. One drop on the swab, Catherine carefully brushed the swab over the end where a piece of marble was missing. She then grabbed the phenolphthalein reagent and squeezed a few drops onto the end of the swab. Swell red. "Hey Warrick. I've got the murder weapon. Well, one of them."  
  
"Find blood traces?" He asked dusting prints.  
  
"Oh yeah." Catherine sighed as she bagged the bookend. "They can run, but they cannot hide."  
  
"That's for sure." Warrick added as he eyed the fingerprints. "I've got a million fingerprints over here, like it's free pork sample day at Piggly- Wiggly."  
  
"Well, you know what protocol calls for." Catherine reminded Warrick.  
  
"Yeah. Every print we find, must be photographed for AFIS." Warrick sighed contently to himself and began snapping photographs.  
  
"I'm going to check on the bathroom." Catherine said. She brought her kit with her and sat it down on the toilet lid. She picked up the trash can and rummaged through it. Her nose crinkled at the familar smell. She sniffed even more, until she picked out a wad of kleenex from the bottom of the trash can with her tweezers. "Hey Warrick!" She shouted as she emerged from the bathroom.  
  
"Yea." He said kneeling down on the carpet near the bed.  
  
"What is a guy doing with nail polish remover?" Catherine asked holding up the wad of kleenex. "Especially with red nail polish on it?"  
  
"Maybe he had a secret life?" Warrick joked. "I can top your find."  
  
"Oh really Kreskin? What do you have?" Catherine asked after placing the wad of kleenex into a plastic evidence bag.  
  
"Would you like to add some diamonds to your collection?" He asked holding up a dangly diamond earing in between his tweezers."  
  
"Nice find partner. But it's probably fake. Like half of this town." Catherine commented.  
  
"Yea, well I'm bagging it. Can you hand me an envelope please?" He asked.  
  
"Sure. Here." She handed him the small manilla envelope and Warrick bagged it. "Call girl maybe?"  
  
"Girlfriend?" Catherine added.  
  
"Suspect." Warrick said casusually.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Toilet bowl cleaner?" Grissom asked.  
  
"That mixed with the acetone and other chemicals from the nail polish is a deadly mix. But there's one question still unanswered." Sara pondered.  
  
"What's that?" Grissom looked at her.  
  
"What did happened first? Strangled or poisoned." Sara paused. "I've sent Brass back to the dressing room at the Monaco to fetch the toilet bowl cleaner."  
  
"Sara, you know that the killer may have brought their own, or used one from another bathroom." Grissom added.  
  
"But why would he or she go all the way around the casino looking for it? They'd use whatever is handy, especially if this was a murder in the heat of the moment, not planned."  
  
"You keep me updated. If you excuse me, I have a date." Grissom spoke as he got up from his chair.  
  
"With who?" Sara eyed her supervisor.  
  
"My granddaughter." He smiled. 


	8. I spy with my little eye

"Willows." Catherine spoke as she answered her cell phone. There was a long pause. "Yeah, we're almost done here. We'll be there in about twenty minutes." Another pause. "Thanks Greg."  
  
"What did Sanders want?" Warrick said putting the last envelope in his field kit.  
  
"He found something that was on our vic." Catherine said as she put her Star-Tac into her jacket pocket.  
  
"Why would Sanders have it?" Warrick asked looking puzzled.  
  
"Chemicals. I asked Robbins to swab the body and send whatever he found over to Greg." Catherine told Warrick as she grabbed her kit. "I told him we'd be there soon. We best get going."  
  
  
  
"So," Grissom paused. "Where's Nick?"  
  
"At the grocery store." Jennifer smiled as she gently placed Emily into her fathers arms. "We couldn't decide on what to have to dinner so he took off to the store. Would you like to stay?"  
  
"It would be my pleasure." He spoke quietly as he looked at his tiny granddaughter. "You know Jennifer, she looks just like you when you were this tiny."  
  
"You think so?" She asked as she sat down and placed a pitcher of lemonade on the coffee table.  
  
"Yes. She does." He pasued when Emily squirmed in his arms. "I remember when your mother brought you home for the first time. I was at the lab back in Los Angeles. I didn't know she was coming home, but they released her a day early. I got in the front door and I could hear crying coming from the spare bedroom. I thought I was hearing things, so, I walked into the bedroom, and there was your mother rocking you in that big huge rocking chair that your grandfather built for you." He paused once more. "I was so happy to finally have you home, and I was so proud that I was your father. And I still am."  
  
"Oh dad." Jennifer sighed. "I'm glad your my dad. I wouldn't want it any other way. By the way, mom is coming in this weekend. She finally got time off of work. Nick and I made reservations at the Orpheus for all of us. You better come."  
  
"Of course I will. It's been a long time since I've seen your mother last. I'd like to know what she's been up to. When exactly will she be here?" Grissom asked.  
  
"Tomorrow afternoon around four." Jennifer smiled. "And dinner is around seven."  
  
"I'll be here with bells on." Grissom spoke as he gave his famous laugh.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Toilet bowl cleaner and acetone?" Warrick asked Greg as he looked at the fresh sheet of paper that printed from the printer.  
  
"Yup." Greg commented.  
  
"Like I said earlier. What kind of man uses nail polish remover?" Catherine hummed.  
  
"This is Vegas. Anything happens." Greg smirked. "And the toilet bowl cleaner. Anyone uses that stuff. I mean we all clean toilets. He probably got it on his hands when he was cleaning his toilet."  
  
"He was staying at a hotel." Catherine spoke as she reviewed the case folder.  
  
"Was there any cleaner in the bathroom?" Greg asked.  
  
"We didn't find any." Warrick responded shaking his head.  
  
"You know..." Greg trailed off and quickly spoke again. "You should talk to Sara."  
  
"What about?" Catherine asked.  
  
"Well. Her case is weird. And well it's just like yours actually. Her vic, is an exotic dancer and she died of strangulation." He commented.  
  
"Yeah so. What's that gotta do with our case?" Warrick spat.  
  
"Her vic was also poisoned. Toilet bowl cleaner and nail polish remover." Greg stopped and watched Catherine and Warrick, exchanged glances between each other and the eager CSI Lab Tech. "I just brought the two cases together. Oh yeah! Greg Sanders, once again may have presented major clues to these cases..." He paused. "I rule." 


	9. Walking 1,000 miles in her shoes

Jennifer sat there on the bed crying. Emily was sound asleep in her room. Jennifer couldn't believe the pictures in front of her. She knew exactly what it felt like. She was there. God was she there. She couldn't understand why people did it to themselves. She got out of it, it was easy for her. But she knew it was hard for others.  
  
"Here you are." Nick said as he walked into their bedroom. Jennifer looked up, her eyes red, her cheeks stained with tears. "What's wrong?" He asked rushing over to her side. "Is Emily okay?"  
  
"She's fine." Jennifer sobbed wiping her tears from her eyes. Jennifer sorted the photos of Ashleigh James, that sat in front of her on the bed. "I had to look at the case file. Emily is sleeping, I had nothing else to do." She closed the file and put back on the bedside table and sighed.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay?" Nick asked concerned, stroking her hair.  
  
"Yeah. I'm fine." She paused. "I think I'm going to go to bed." Jennifer leaned in and gave Nick a kiss. "Love you."  
  
"Love you too." Nick replied as Jennifer laid down and pulled up the covers.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Grissom." Sara called out from his office door. He didn't respond. "Grissom." Sara called once more. But again, he didn't answer. "GRISSOM!" She shouted out.  
  
"Huh?" He asked, breaking out of his trance.  
  
"You okay?" She asked concerned.  
  
"Yea fine. How can I help you?" He asked.  
  
"Well, something very interesting just came up. Something, very weird, and very interesting." She eyed her boss carefully. Something was up, something was bothering him and he wasn't going to even talk about it.  
  
"And that would be?" Grissom questioned the eager CSI.  
  
"Catherine and Warrick's case. We merged. Our cases match. Both our vics, were killed the same way. Poisioned. Except, their vic was shot. We're piecing the enormous puzzle together right now. Would you care to add your expertise?" Sara offered.  
  
"I'll join you later. I have some business I need to work on." Grissom said as he raised from his office chair. "If you guys need Nick, call him. He finished Ashleigh James case and is at home. Jennifer can take care of herself and of Emily now." He smiled as he walked out.  
  
  
  
Nick rolled onto his right side and went to put his arm around Jennifer, but she wasn't there. He sat up and looked around the bedroom, wondering if she was sitting on the chair by the window. She wasn't there either. He got up and walked into the bathroom. She wasn't there either. He checked Emily's room, nothing. He panicked. He rushed into the dark living room where he saw a figure of a head in the darkness and called out. "Jennifer?" She didn't speak. 'She must be sleeping.' He thought to himself.  
  
"Nick, is that you?" She said groggily as she turned on the lamp.  
  
"How come you're in here? Was I tossing too much?" He asked as he sat down next to her.  
  
"No, you weren't. I just couldn't sleep."  
  
"Those crime scene photos are bothering you, aren't they?" He asked as he pulled her closer. She nodded. "Why? Why are they bothering you so much? A case hardly effects you like that?"  
  
Jennifer took a deep breath. "Because I've been there."  
  
"Been where?" Nick asked.  
  
"In her shoes. I can relate to Ashleigh James. I know what it's like and it's one dark place you do not want to be." 


	10. Confessions and Convictions

"How come you never told me that Jennifer was bulimic Gil?" Nick asked as he sat down in his soon to be father-in-laws and supervisors office.  
  
"Because she didn't want anyone knowing. Her mother and I were the only ones who knew. It was something she wanted to forget about fast, and the less people knew about it, the faster it would disappear. Is it making you upset that you don't know about it?" Gil questioned Nick.  
  
"Yeah it does. I'm going to be her husband in less than a week, and we should know each others secrets. I have told her everything that there is to know about me. Married people don't keep secrets from each other. That's why marriages fail. Because they either lie or keep secrets and I don't want that."  
  
"I think Nick, that you should be discussing this with Jennifer and not me. I know she's have a difficult time telling you about this, but that's because she doesn't want to remember any of it. It was a really painful time for her and you need to understand that. Just talk to her. Be there for her when she tells you. She'll need a shoulder to cry on." Gil sighed. "Trust me Nick. She loves you, and she hates keeping things from you. But it takes time to heal all wounds, but maybe now she'll talk about it."  
  
Nick nodded as he neared the door. "Thanks."  
  
  
  
"So, we need to ask a question. How do they know each other?" Sara said walking around the corpses in the morgue.  
  
"Girlfriend, maybe?" Warrick thought sitting in the chair. "Or maybe..." He trailed off.  
  
"Her pimp?" Sara added to Warrick's theory.  
  
"Nah." Catherine started. "I don't think he is. Telling by the chemicals on his hand, it looks like he poisoned her. But how did he end up dead. Warrick, you did explain that maybe he owed some debts and didn't pay up and was killed because of it. Maybe she was a girlfriend." Catherine paused. "We need to ask around. I'll see if Mr. Spencer had any friends or family here in Vegas. Warrick, you and Sara ask Miss LaCross' co-workers some general questions about herself, if she had a boyfriend, if she has any family here. Then we'll meet back here, share our information and piece together this case."  
  
"Sure. Will do." Sara smiled as she grabbed her coat from the back of the chair.  
  
  
  
"Jen, I know it hurts. That's why I'm here. To help the pain. To make it go away." Nick said trying to pull Jennifer close, but she pulled away each time.  
  
"You don't know what it's like." She cried.  
  
"Then tell me. Jen, baby. Please. I don't like seeing you like this. I want to know, so we can both get rid of the pain together. Please Jen. Tell me." He said wiping away her tears.  
  
"I thought I was doing something good. I thought I was getting rid of the bad stuff inside of my body." She paused. "But it got worse. I tried to stop, but I couldn't. Anything I put it, it had to come out and if it didn't I felt sick. I was fourteen and I noticed I was getting pudgier. But I wasn't eating much. I was always a light eater. I could never understand where it came from. Where the whole thing started. Then when it was finally over I remembered." She paused once more. "I was at a pool party, at my best friends house. It was the last day of school, and we threw it afterwards. I was sitting in the lounger next to her and Mark came over and said, 'You know Jen, I'd go out with you, but you're not my type.' I could understand why, then later on he told me that I had too much meat on my bones. I figured out that if I were bulimic that it wouldn't be a drastic notice. When you're anorexic you starve yourself and it shows right away."  
  
"How did your dad find out?" Nick asked pulling her closer.  
  
"He was wondering why I was eating so much. I just said I was getting these cravings, like I felt that I wasn't eating too much. And my body just wanted more. He found me in the bathroom purging one day. He didn't freak out, he didn't get upset. He just got on the floor with me and when it was finished held me for the longest time. He said that everything would be alright and that he was there for me. Mark said I wasn't pretty enough. And that's what started everything." Jennifer wrapped her arms around Nick and cried even more.  
  
He stroked her hair and calmly replied, "I think you're pretty." 


	11. Sex, Drugs & Rock and Roll

"She is so cute!" Catherine shrieked as she flipped through the pictures of Emily and her first bath. "Nick, you are one lucky guy." She gushed.  
  
"She is a cutie, isn't she?" He beamed. "I can tell you this, she isn't dating until see forty." Nick laughed.  
  
"She'll have the guys lining up at your front door." Warrick joked. "Here comes dad with the shot gun!"  
  
"To date my daughter, they're going to have to get through me first." Nick smiled as he handed Catherine more pictures.  
  
"I'm sorry you two didn't get a chance to go on your honeymoon." Catherine said. "I know how much you three wanted to go on a vacation to Texas to see your family."  
  
"Yeah, but it's okay. Hopefully we can go next month. Gil needed me and I'm here. I just hate being away from Jen and Emily." He smiled.  
  
"How is Jen? Is she missing her sleep yet?" Catherine asked.  
  
"No, not really. Actually she doesn't mind. Sometimes I have to pry her from out of that rocking chair to actually go to sleep." Nick laughed.  
  
"I know how she feels. She better absorb all the time she has with Emily, because soon she'll be in the third grade. They grow up so fast Nicky." Catherine sighed.  
  
"I can vouch for that." Grissom said as he walked into the break room. "Jennifer is a married woman and a mother to my beautiful granddaughter. I remember when she was Emily's age. It was like it was yesterday." They all looked at Grissom. Lately he was beginning to show a different side of him, that they haven't seen at all. Grissom was a hard to read person, but with the recent birth of Emily, he began to show everyone a new side of him. "How is Emily, Nick?"  
  
"She's doing great. She actually is sleeping through the night, which I am glad for Jennifer." Nick smiled. "So, what do you have for us boss?"  
  
"A model was found dead at the Tangeers. The room is under the name of Kris Warren." Gil said as he handed Catherine the file.  
  
"You mean, singer Kris Warren?" Catherine looked at Gil.  
  
"Yes." Grissom said.  
  
"Is he a suspect?" Warrick asked.  
  
"For now, yes. He's not saying where he was during the time of the murder, so we have to put him on the suspect list. Brass is there right now waiting for you three." Gil said as they all got up from the chairs. "And make sure you keep the media out. They're already there, snapping their cameras at any police officer that comes out of the hotel. Make sure you watch you back. And make sure they don't find anything out." Grissom said sternly.  
  
"Will do." Nick said as he walked out with his colleagues. 


	12. Caught on Tape

Sara walked, more like jogged into Grissom's office. "Where is Catherine and Warrick?" She spat.  
  
"They're with Nick, working on a new case." Grissom said as he reviewed Nick's notes of the walk over of the crime scene.  
  
"And what about mine? We are so close in getting that guy. And you didn't even inform me, of pushing my case back. This isn't fair." Sara wined.  
  
"This one was more important." Grissom said not taking his eyes off of the notes.  
  
"Is the sheriff all over this one?" Sara snapped once more.  
  
"No he is not. But he could be later on. I do not know." He paused and grabbed the piece of paper sitting on the desk. "You can work your case alone or take this one in the mean time."  
  
Sara snatched the paper out of his hands hastily. Her eyes furiously scanned the small sheet. "A coffee shop hold up?" She rolled her eyes. "No thanks. I'll work on my case alone." She tossed the paper back on the desk and stormed out. 'How dare he push my case back and steal Catherine and Warrick!'  
  
  
  
"She was definitely strangled." Nick commented as he snapped up some pictures.  
  
"And she definitely smelled nice too." Warrick said walking out of the bathroom with a bottle of J.Lo's Glow perfume.  
  
"That stuff doesn't come cheap. I can tell you that." Nick spoke with a laugh.  
  
"Are you trying to tell me something Nick?" Catherine chuckled as she dusted for fingerprints.  
  
"I bought it for Jen. It was a gift, for Emily's birth. I thought she'd like it and she did. That damn bottle cost me eighty-dollars." He laughed snapping up more pictures. "The perfume is at all major department stores. It may be hard to track where it was purchased and who purchased it."  
  
"Nick's right. I've seen at least three different ads in the paper marketing the perfume and it listed all the stores and boutiques it was selling it at. We'll just bag it for now as evidence. Do you have any prints yet?" Warrick asked Catherine as he bagged the bottle of perfume.  
  
"Well, being that this is a hotel room, I've got millions. Looks like we're gonna have to follow protocol." Catherine stood up. "Has anyone printed Mr. Warren yet?"  
  
"Brass did." Nick commented. "He saw how busy we were and did his fingerprints. His prints are in my kit."  
  
"Well isn't that nice." Catherine shot and smirked. Brass never prints people, but the extra hands are more helpful.  
  
"Warrick, the body is ready to go back to the lab." David spoke softly.  
  
"Alright. I'll be right there." Warrick grabbed his kit and stopped at the door. "Can I go, or do you need me to stay children?" Warrick laughed.  
  
"I'm sure Nicky won't get into any trouble while your gone." Catherine joked.  
  
  
  
"No mom, everything is fine." Jennifer spoke into the receiver. "Emily is down for her nap. Nick is at work, and I am here enjoying a few hours of quiet to myself." Jennifer smiled as the doorbell rang. "Damnit. Can't they read the bloody sign on the door!" Jennifer spat. She swung open the door to see that a flower deliveryman was standing on the stoop. "Can't you read the sign?"  
  
"Sorry ma'am. I have flowers for Jennifer Stokes." He said smiling.  
  
"That's me. Where do you want me to sign?" She asked, the deliveryman showed. She nodded and closed the door. "Hold on a sec mom. I'm going to check on Emily." Jennifer sat the flowers down on coffee table in the living room and walked into Emily's room. She was still sleeping, very quietly. "Some people." Jennifer said to her mom on the phone as she walked back into the living room. "Wow, these are some nice flowers." She commented.  
  
"Who are they from?" Her mother asked.  
  
"I don't know. There's no name on the card. It just says 'Congratulations on the birth of your new daughter.' I wonder if they're from Nick. Maybe he sent them in surprise." She beamed.  
  
"Maybe. Hasn't he sent you tons of flowers already?" Nancy asked.  
  
"Yeah, but I love them. He's so sweet. Nick has always been so good to me. So, when are you coming in?" Jennifer asked as she sat down.  
  
"In about two weeks. I have some clients I need to finish with here, show them some homes and then I'll be out to see you, Nick and my grandbaby. I am so excited Jen. I cannot wait to see Emily."  
  
"Well, she can't wait to see you. A new face, a good change. She's seen everybody a million times already." Jennifer laughed. "Well, I've got to let you go mom. I'm going to get dinner started. Nick's going to be coming home for dinner then going back to work."  
  
"Alright dear. Give that baby a kiss for me, and tell Nick I said hi. I'll see you soon darling." Nancy spoke quietly.  
  
"Alright. Bye mom!" Jennifer spoke then pushed the end button on the cordless. She sat back into the couch and closed her eyes for a few minutes, not knowing that she was being secretly watched. 


	13. Fan Mail and Asphyxiation

"Just to let you know Warrick, her being strangled was a cover up." Robbins said as he looked over the body.  
  
"But there is perimortem bruising, Doc." Warrick exclaimed.  
  
"True. She was strangled shortly after her death to make it look like she hung herself. The rope marks left impressions, the person that killed her, knew exactly what he was doing." Robbins spoke.  
  
"A pro?" Warrick asked.  
  
"Maybe. She has extensive bruising on her body, possibly from abuse. I gave a sample of her blood to Greg. He's running it now. But she did die of asphyxiation, but here's where it gets even more weird. She had internal bleeding, but there are no physical signs showing that a blow to some part of her body caused it. There is none."  
  
"So, she just bled out, internally. Can you find out how?" Warrick questioned the coroner.  
  
"I can try, but it's going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack. I'll let you know when I find whatever, I'm looking for." Robbins gave a small smile and went about preparing his instruments for incision.  
  
  
  
"Did Miss LaCross have a boyfriend?" Sara asked the strikingly beautiful woman sitting across from her in the dressing room.  
  
"She mentioned she had a guy, but never gave a name. She would always mention how nice he treated her. Lobster dinner, flowers, candy, jewelry, the whole nine yards. She said he worked in real estate. Owned his own business, very successful. I guess you have to be to give your woman a lot of bling-bling." Cassie Anderson told Sara.  
  
"Did she have any enemies? Anyone that had a grudge against her, or someone she may have angered?"  
  
"No. Tina was friends with everyone. Her co-workers loved her, even her fans."  
  
"Her fans?" Sara questioned.  
  
"Yea. Tina was the main dancer in the show. Very pretty, took very good care of herself, made sure her routine was flawless. The public adored her. She got tons of fan mail. The manager here was very proud of her. She pulled in tons of people to every single show." Cassie smiled as she reminisced about her best friend and co-worker.  
  
"Do you know where she kept her fan mail Miss Anderson?"  
  
"Sure do. She took it home with her every night after the show. Here's her address." Cassie said as she scribbled down an address.  
  
"Wow. That's the posh part of Vegas. I know Miss LaCross was the headliner, but how could she afford a house like that with her salary? These houses start at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars." Sara questioned with a puzzled look.  
  
"Her boyfriend. Like I said. He took very good care of her." Cassie smiled.  
  
"I'm sure she did." Sara said smugly.  
  
  
  
"Well, these prints I lifted are not all Mr. Warren's. These could be prints of any guest that has stayed here in the past." Nick said as he sat in front of the computer, running the prints through AFIS.  
  
"We still have to run them through Nicky." Catherine sighed.  
  
"I know what killed her." Warrick said as he walked into the lab holding a brown file folder.  
  
"And that would be?" Nick asked.  
  
"Cyanide. Now, Doc Robbins also said she bled out. He pinpointed it. She, Christina Henderson, got her prints from a work card, has been suffering from ulcers. She's been taking medication, but they weren't helping. The ulcers, created a hole in her lining of her stomach, and continued to bleed. Now that have could been from the food she ate, to the acid in her stomach hidering the bleeding." Warrick rambled off.  
  
"How does the cyanide fall into key?" Catherine asked.  
  
"The cyanide was ingested. I took two coffee mugs from the suite. One came back with trace amounts of cyanide." Warrick began to explain. "There was coffee in her mug, we matched her lip prints with the lipstick on the rim back to her, and in the coffee was the coffee powder. It's easy for cyanide to go un noticed. It's a powder, odorless, tasteless, she just thought she was drinking some good java. Doc Robbins mentioned that she did die of asphyxiation, which cyanide does. It prevents oxygen getting to the tissues."  
  
"So the bleeding out, that was caused by natural circumstances. But the asphyxiation was caused by cyanide. So then that means, the killer knew exactly what he was doing. Gave her trace amounts of cyanide, then staged her murder to look like she hung herself because we'd find the cause of death by lack of oxygen." Catherine smirked.  
  
"Exactly." Nick said. "I think we need to speak with Mr. Warren and..." Nick couldn't even finish his sentence when the computer began to beep. "We have a match on one of the prints I lifted."  
  
"Who is it?" Warrick questioned.  
  
"Son of a bitch." Nick shouted. "You've got to be kidding me!"  
  
"Nick! Who is it?" Catherine demanded.  
  
"Carl Spencer." 


	14. Knowing the unknown

"Are you my little kumquat? My little pineapple? My little pumpkin?" Jennifer asked Emily as she bathed her, Emily smiling in return. "Look at that chubby tummy!! Mommy's gonna tickle it!" Jennifer laughed.  
  
"I wish mommy would tickle my tummy once and a while." Nick said grinning, leaning against the bathroom door frame.  
  
"I'll give you a raincheck. What are you doing home?" Jennifer asked as she pulled Emily out from the little baby bathtub.  
  
"Greg." Nick said with a disconcerning look.  
  
"Huh?" Jen asked in return as she wrapped a towel around their daughter.  
  
"He was carrying a cup of coffee, cold thank god, and tripped and I was in the coffee's path and well. Can you wash my shirt for me when you have time, please?" Nick said as he walked into the bedroom pulling his shirt over his head. "Did you get her to stop crying?" Nick asked of Emily.  
  
"Yeah. The bath did that for me. I put that stuff in there that your mom sent and well, it works."  
  
"Awesome." Nick turned his attention to Emily who was very alert. "Hey my princess. If daddy holds you, are you gonna start crying again?" Emily blinked. "I'll take that as a no. Come here sweetheart." He took her from Jen and walked into the living room. "Any important mail?"  
  
"Besides bills, bills, bills, we got some cards from family members, and something from the local neighborhood welcome wagon, and a letter addressed to you." Jennifer spoke as she handed Nick the white envelope. "Do you have a secret admirer that I don't know about." Jennifer grinned.  
  
"Yeah. A Las Vegas Showgirls and a model." Nick sighed as he sat on the couch.  
  
"You're still working on that case?"  
  
"Yes. And they're all connected. It just keeps getting weirder and weirder." Nick sighed once more and looked at Emily who was sucking on her fist. "Why don't I give you mom and she gets you clothed, and I'll see you when I get home from work huh, my little princess?" Emily looked at Nick and yawned. "Oh! So I'm not interesting huh." He let out a small laugh. "I think someone is very tired." He gave Emily a kiss on her forehead and gave her back to Jen. "And I'll see you later on this evening my beautiful, beautiful, sexy wife." He smirked.  
  
Jennifer laughed. "Your too much Nicholas Stokes. Dinner will be in the fridge. I just may fall asleep before you get back."  
  
"Don't worry. I'll be quiet as a church mouse." He smiled and closed the door behind him.  
  
  
  
"Do you know this man Mr. Warren?" Catherine asked as she slid a picture of Carl Spencer across the interrogation room table.  
  
"No. Sorry, I don't. You have to understand Ms. Willows. I meet a lot of people and sometimes it's very hard to remember faces."  
  
"That's quite alright." Catherine paused. "His fingerprints were found in your room. Besides Miss Smith, was anyone else in your room, and how do you know the decedent?"  
  
"Christine was my girlfriend. And not to my knowledge, no. She comes with me on all of my tours, she's my life. She keeps me grounded. Do you know how she died?"  
  
"She was poisoned, but that's not the only thing that killed her." Warrick added. "Did you know she suffered from ulcers?"  
  
"Yes. She took medication every day. Day in, day out. She tired so hard to stay stress free and eat foods that wouldn't bother them. How can someone die from ulcers?" Warren asked.  
  
"It's unusual, but if the medication isn't taken, the acid eats away at the lining and can get into the bloodstream. And there's bacteria in the stomach acid, and that got into her bloodstream. But that was the underlying event that killed her. She ingested cyanide." Catherine spoke. "We're very sorry for your loss."  
  
"Has anyone contacted her family?" Chris asked.  
  
"No, not yet." Warrick said.  
  
"If it is okay, I would like to do that. I'd prefer for her family to hear from me, rather than the police."  
  
"That is understandable. Thank you for your time Mr. Warren." Catherine smiled and walked out with Warrick. "Poor guy. After all he's been through, recovering drug addict and alcoholic; he looses the love of his life."  
  
"Ain't life a bitch." Warrick sighed. 


	15. Superior vs the Minion

"Isn't she sweet?" Nick asked Warrick, as Warrick read the very short letter. "There she is totally busy with taking care of Emily and doing other things at the same time, and she has time to print out 'I still love you' on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope addressed to me and send it in the mail. God I love that woman."  
  
"It sure is sweet. Would you get mad if I asked her to send me mushy love notes?" Warrick said as the two shared a laugh.  
  
  
  
"May I ask what you are doing?" Grissom asked Sara as he poked his head into the layout room.  
  
"Reading Tina's fan mail." She said not even bothering to look up from the mounds of letters that lay on the table.  
  
"Find anything interesting?" Grissom questioned.  
  
"No." Sara spoke with a flat tone.  
  
"Do you expect to find something in those letters?"  
  
"Don't know." Sara shot back quickly.  
  
"I detect a bit of anger in your words. Are you mad at me?" Grissom asked now walking in, standing next to the table.  
  
"Why would I?" Sara spoke once again, not even bothering to look up at her superior.  
  
"Well for one, I told Nicky, Warrick and Catherine to work on the new case, which has left you to work on this one by yourself." Grissom paused. "Sara, you've always hinted at wanting to work on cases by yourself. And well, I think you're ready."  
  
"Ready for what?" She snapped. "Ready to go on a date by myself with out friends? Ready to go to the prom with a boy? Ready to drive a car with out a licensed driver sitting in the passenger seat? Grissom, I have always been ready! I've been ready since day one but yet for some odd reason, I'm always the last one to work a case all by myself! I have too much here and you leave it all on my plate with no one to help me finish the fries." Sara popped up from her chair, grabbing a few notes and dashed out of the room.  
  
  
  
"Do you believe him?" Nick asked Catherine as they reviewed the case files.  
  
"Yes. I do believe him. He's being sincere. We cannot ask Mr. Spencer because he's dead and we're going on fingerprints and the same MO with Sara's case. I think it's time to pair up with Sara and work on this together. Someone knows something, and they're out there, and we're going to find them. It just may take some time." Catherine spoke with conviction.  
  
"Hey you guys...." Sara said as she walked into the break room. "I just came back from documents and Ronnie spotted something under the lights when I got him to check out the letters of Tina's, and well he found the chemicals that were found also in your model's body. It was spilled all over this letter here."  
  
"Ugh, does that have... cyanide on it?" Nick asked. Sara nodded. "That's hazardous. And deadly."  
  
"Chill Nick. It's been contained under the covering. And it's trace amounts. Quit freaking out." Sara sighed.  
  
"Well, that's good. Because now, we're officially merging the two cases." Warrick spoke. "So grab a chair because we're going to be here all night."  
  
  
  
"Hello?" Jennifer asked as she spoke into the telephone handset.  
  
"Is Nick there please?" The female on the other side asked.  
  
"No, I'm sorry he's not. May I ask who's calling." There was a pause. "Hello? May I ask who's calling?"  
  
"It's alright. I'll call back later." Click.  
  
Jennifer hung up the phone and glanced into space. "Well that's weird." 


	16. Distant Memories

"Yea! And I want my mom, dad, brother and sisters over here for Thanksgiving. A big huge family gathering, including your dad, your mom, step-sister, step-dad, us! It can be the first annual Stokes-Grissom family gathering." Nick said as he shoveled his dinner down his throat. "Just think of it Jen!"  
  
Jennifer sat there across from her more than hungry husband at the dining room table. "Nick, as much as I love that idea. Look around. We don't have the room to hold that many people! Our dining room table is in the corner of the living room, and when it's not in use for dinner time, your laptop is on it!"  
  
"I could take the couch and chair and stuff out of here and we can have the tables in a square!" Nick exclaimed.  
  
"Nick. We don't have the room!" Jennifer said.  
  
"How about... We have it at your dad's! He's got the room!" Nick proposed.  
  
Jennifer choked on her mashed potatoes. After slapping her chest a few times to loosen the food from her windpipe, she took a sip of water and stared at Nick with astonishment. "My dad's!? Are you nuts?" Jennifer and Nick exchanged glances and glares for a few minutes, then she finally sighed. "Oh alright. I'll ask. And what if he says no?"  
  
"Then we'll have to fly to Texas. Of course Em will have her cheeks pinches a couple of thousand times, and told that she's one cute little baby and we're so luck to have her, we'll have a great time. Mom makes the best turkey and her stuffing is to DIE for! It's homemade, and not that out of the box and done in five minutes kind of crap." Nick spoke and he finished his soda. Jennifer glared at him for a second. "Okay. I'm sorry." He laughed. "The five minute stuff you make is awesome."  
  
  
  
"Have you found anything on this guy?" Sara asked Warrick who sat across from him in the layout room. The papers spread across the luminescent table.  
  
"He sold used cars by day and by night was an avid gambler. Has a few traffic citations for speeding, that's about it. Nothing unusual here." Warrick said.  
  
"Maybe he's been playing these two girls." Catherine spoke. "Seeing Tina by day and on the weekends Christine was the spare part."  
  
"Where's Nick?" Sara asked looking up from the case file.  
  
"Grissom told him to have the night off. He looked like crap." Warrick responded. "Emily has been up almost every single night since Monday. They think she has colic. Nick and Jennifer haven't been getting any kind of sleep at all."  
  
"I didn't know I still had this." Nick said as Jennifer flipped through the scrapbook. "Where did you find this?"  
  
"Top closet shelf, in a box at the back." Jennifer glanced at the pictures of a young Nick. "Nicholas Timothy Stokes. Age five. He likes football, frogs, rodeos and Oreo cookies." Jennifer spoke. "Aww. So cute!" She giggled. "Such a cute kid."  
  
"Hey! I still am cute!" Nick retorted. "Aren't I?" He raised an eyebrow and looked over at his wife.  
  
"Yea. You still are. Do you think I would have married you if you weren't?" Jennifer laughed.  
  
"Oh!" Nick exclaimed as he clinched his hand over his chest. "That hurt! I think I'm gonna cry." He tried to look serious, but his attempts to do so, failed. Both started to laugh.  
  
Jennifer whistled. "Sexy man! Sexy man! Sexy man!" She repeated. "Why didn't I go to school in Dallas?"  
  
"Because you were just a kid in junior high and I was a junior in high school. The captain of the football team. Attracting all the ladies." He smirked.  
  
"Hah! What was your pick up line. Let me guess... 'Hey ladies. I'm Nick Stokes, captain of the football team. Can I take you out for a soda?'" Jennifer snickered.  
  
"Close." He smiled.  
  
"Nicholas Stokes. Officer 1340-98. I do love a man in a uniform." She grinned. "I think if I saw you in that uniform, I would have committed a crime just so you could arrest me. Would you have been aggressive?"  
  
"Just the way you like it." Nick said with his husky Texas drawl. He leaned in and gave his kiss a wife, moving his hand up her leg all the way to her breast. He kissed her passionately and the scrapbook dropped to the floor beneath the bed. He gently gave her breast a squeeze only to find his hand wet. He removed his hand from underneath her ratty shirt and looked at the white liquid running down it. "Breast milk." He sighed. Now that just killed the mood. "I'm sorry." He said apologetically, grabbing a few Kleenexes from his bedside table.  
  
"That's okay. It happens. Maybe for now, we should skip the foreplay." Jennifer said as she got up to change her shirt which had a dark wet spot from the leaking breast milk.  
  
"Gotcha." Nick responded.  
  
  
  
"You're joking right?" Sara retorted to Greg.  
  
"No. I am not." Greg said with a sort of a grin.  
  
"What's the smile for?" Warrick asked as he looked at the DNA results from Christine's mouth. "Oh. I see what's turning you on. Like I said before. This is Las Vegas. Anything can happen." Warrick paused. "I'm going to ask Robbins to look at Miss LaCross' breast. If there's a dental impression, I'm sure we'll know who's teeth they belong to." 


	17. The Odd Couple

"Nick, I'm telling you." Jennifer paused. "I didn't send you that letter! I barely have time to even get on the computer. I'm too busy with Emily, feeding her, bathing her, rocking her to sleep. I barely even have time to take a nap. I didn't write you that letter."  
  
Nick studied the letter over and over again. 'If Jen didn't send it, who did?' He kept asking himself. He was going to have to investigate this. "Are you positive?"  
  
"Nick!" Jennifer sighed. "I'm telling you the truth. I didn't type up Nick I still love you, on some piece of paper. And if I did, I would have put it in your back pants pocket." She smiled. She put her hands on his face, pulled herself closer and gave him a small peck on his lips. "Have you stopped shaving?" Jennifer asked.  
  
"Yeah." He said looking at her. "I'm trying to grow a goatee." He beamed. "Now I can scratch your face with my stubble." He laughed.  
  
"Hey you two!" Warrick said as he walked past the locker room. "Is that baby girl in that car seat?"  
  
"Yea." Nick said. "But she's sleeping."  
  
"Ah, I don't care if she's sleeping. I just want to see her." Warrick came a bit closer and stepped in front of the bench where Emily was sleeping in her car seat. "What an angel." He commented. "But who bought her that hideous hat!"  
  
"I did!" Nick spoke. "I think it's cute. It's very girly. Very babyish." He beamed, proud of the hat he bought his baby girl. Beaming like a new father would.  
  
"I think I'm gonna hook baby girl up with some nice hats. Gucci, Prada, Versace. She'll be one styling infant." Warrick paused. "Hey Jen. You finally getting any sleep?" He asked as he walked back and stood at the foot of the door.  
  
"Sleep? What's that?" She joked. "I wish. I'm getting maybe an hour of sleep every day."  
  
"Well, let's make a deal. On my day off, I'll come over, watch Em, and you can get some sleep. Free of charge." Warrick smiled.  
  
"Okay. You're on!" Jennifer smiled back.  
  
"Alright. See you Friday." Warrick announced as he walked out of the locker room.  
  
"Well that's nice of Warrick." Nick said.  
  
"Yeah, it is." Jennifer sighed. "Come on. Drive me home please. She'll be up soon and I do not want to sit here and feed her right here. You know Greg. He's everywhere and he's got wondering eyes." She laughed.  
  
  
  
"They match?!" Sara questioned as she looked at the paper Catherine handed her. "Was it done on purpose?"  
  
"No. It was sexual." Catherine paused as she sat down at her desk. "According to these tapes we seized from Christine's home, her and Miss LaCross had a relationship and it was, well, very sexual."  
  
"Okay. This case keeps getting weirder and weirder." Sara paused. "Where's Grissom?"  
  
"He's at Nick and Jen's waiting for them to get home." Catherine smiled. "He's making her dinner since she doesn't have the time to eat herself. And it's a surprise and I don't know if Jen has left here yet. Nick's in on it. I think she'll like it."  
  
"That is nice." Sara commented. 'Wish Grissom would make me dinner.' She said to herself. "So, are these tapes like porn? Were any of them sold?"  
  
"No. They were just for their personal collection. I guess they're like the one percent of the population who likes to tape them having sex with their partners and critiquing them later on to see how they can improve." Catherine said.  
  
"Freaks." Sara huffed in disgust. "Did they not see what happened to Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee? Their maid got a hold of it and it was for the whole world to see."  
  
"Well, you know how the human mind works." Catherine began to point out.  
  
"Yea." Sara sighed. "In very weird ways." 


	18. Wanting You

Nick stood in the doorway of the bathroom, spying at Jennifer, who was behind the curtain enjoying the hot shower she was taking. She was slowly getting her figure back, and her breasts were larger than normal. He was a man, and he enjoyed looking at his wife, especially when she had no clothes on. He stared at her for a few minutes more, before deciding to join her. This was the only way he could be intimate with Jennifer, since she couldn't engage in sex for a while. Nick was counting the weeks till they could start up their sex life again.  
  
Nick stepped into the shower after disrobing from his clothes, and ran his arms around Jennifer's waist, pulling her closer to him. She didn't jump, or wasn't startled at all. She knew his touch, and wanted it so badly. Jennifer wanted sex just as bad as Nick, but she had to wait. She never complained about their intimacy, she enjoyed it. Before she found out she was pregnant, they were engaging in sexual intercourse almost every night of the week. "Is she sleeping?' Jennifer asked.  
  
"Soundly." Nick said speaking softly, as he kissed the side of her neck. "I was told by your dad today, that I maxed out on overtime for being in the field this month. So now I have regular hours and I'm confined to the lab. Which means, I can spend more time at home." He smiled. As much as he loved his work- and God knows that he does, he loved his family and wanted to spend as much time with them as he could. He knew that kids grew up fast these days and didn't want to miss one day of Emily's life. Not even one day.  
  
"Sara maxed out too." Jen said as she sighed. "She's pissed." She laughed, remembering Sara's tone, as they talked on the phone earlier that day.  
  
"I maxed out on my overtime for working in the field this month and I'm stuck in the lab until January." Sara seethed.  
  
"Sara, there is nothing I can do about it. You're gonna have to talk to my dad about that." Jennifer spoke.  
  
"Yea, see. That's the thing. Your dad is in a bad mood." She said.  
  
"And?"  
  
"Well, I don't want him getting all pissy if I mention it." She whined once again.  
  
"I'm afraid you're gonna have to. There is nothing I can do. Why don't you just wait it out? January is two weeks away and I'm sure Greg won't mind your company in the lab." Jennifer laughed.  
  
"Jen, don't even go there. I swear something is up with that boy. Maybe he's been drinking too many Thug Passions." Sara laughed.  
  
"Sara works too hard." Nick said, as he held on to Jen. "She needs to stop being over consumed with work, and enjoy life a little."  
  
"I think she needs to get out with Hank a bit more." Jennifer added. "Someone needs to throw that police scanner out and throw her into a bar or something."  
  
"She just needs a good roll in the hay." Nick said as he paused. "Like I do." Jennifer laughed at his comment and agreed. "See. I knew I wasn't alone in this problem."  
  
  
  
"Is there something wrong?" Sara asked as she walked into Grissom's office.  
  
Grissom looked at her with a puzzled look. "No." He paused. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well, you've been in a foul mood lately, and I can't even talk to you about a problem I'm having. I wouldn't even dare try talking to you. You may snap my head off." She spat.  
  
"Sara." He paused once more. "I would not snap your head off. Now, what is the problem?"  
  
Sara sat down in the chair opposite of where her boss was sitting. She took a deep breath in and began. "I maxed out on my overtime for working in the field for this month, and I'm confined to the lab. I don't want to be here until January." She paused. "So that may be two weeks away, but I'm antsy. I want to get out there and get my hands dirty." She said with a slight smile. Grissom looked as if he was staring of into space. Sara waited a few minutes before speaking once more. "Grissom?" No response. "Grissom?"  
  
Grissom snapped out of his trance and looked up at Sara. Her face was filled with confusion and concern. "Sorry. You were saying?"  
  
"Grissom, what is wrong with you? This is exactly what I'm talking about! You're walking around, not listening to anyone, and being in this pissy mood. Now," Sara paused. "What is wrong with you? Why are you acting this way?"  
  
Grissom looked at his laptop. 'Otosclerosis' was the main title of the website he was surfing. Only days before, he was told by his doctor that surgery was the only option now to correct his hearing loss. It was starting to get worse and it was starting to worry him. Earlier that week he couldn't hear Emily cooing, or Jennifer telling him that Emily is showing the signs of laughing. The hearing problem was now becoming bothersome. "Okay." He sighed. "There is something I've been meaning to tell you." 


	19. Who would have guessed?

"We searched Christine's house, and we found Carl Spencer's DNA and fingerprints. They're still fresh. That house hasn't been touched since his death, so I'm thinking that Christine has been staying at the hotel for a while." Warrick said as he walked into the office that all of them shared. It was a damned shoebox, and they all felt like clowns packed into a K-Car.  
  
"Did you interview her friends, family?" Catherine asked.  
  
"For all they knew, she was staying at home, but our evidence tells us otherwise. I did find her collection of journals. Her last entry was the day Carl Spencer died. And the corner put the time of death the day after he was killed." He said.  
  
"So, Carl was seeing both of these girls, and these girls have been seeing each other. What next?" Catherine asked sighing.  
  
  
  
"Hey Jen." Nick said as he walked into the kitchen holding Emily. "Have you noticed how Em only looks at you when you call her name, if you're sitting on her left?"  
  
"No." Jen said working on dinner. It was lasagna night and Nick loved Jen's lasagna. It was the best he ever had. He really hooked a good cook, along with a good wife and mother. "Why? Are you noticing it?"  
  
"Yea. Watch." Nick took a few giant steps back and stood by the entrance of the kitchen. "Now, I'll get her to look at me, and you call her name." Nick got the attention of Emily and waited for Jen.  
  
"Emily." Jennifer called out in her soothing voice. "Baby girl!" She said. She paused. Nothing.  
  
"Now. Watch this." Nick said shifting around. "Again."  
  
"Hey my little princess." Jen said, and Emily turned her head and looked in the direction of her mother. Jennifer looked at Nick with her mouth open wide. She secretly prayed that this was just a fluke and not something serious.  
  
"Jen. I think we need to pay a visit to her doctor. We need to see what this is all about." Nick paused. "I'm starting to get worried."  
  
  
  
"All we have is this manage-trois, and it's all leading back to each of our victims." Sara said pounding her head on her arms, which were folded on the break room table.  
  
"Don't hurt the table." Warrick said with a laugh. "It has feelings too." He paused. "Well someone killed them all, and we're going to find the killer sooner or later."  
  
Catherine came running down the hall and skidded into the breakroom. "You'll never guess who walked into the police station and confessed to killing Carl Spencer."  
  
"Who?" Warrick and Sara both asked at the same time. "Adam Henderson." Catherine smiled.  
  
"You mean, UNLV point guard Adam Henderson?" Warrick asked sitting up straight in his chair. Catherine nodded her head. "He's being looked at by all the major NBA teams. Orlando, Los Angeles, Knicks. Who did he kill?"  
  
"Carl Spencer." Catherine said.  
  
  
  
"Bills... bills...Christmas card...more bills." Nick said as he leafed through the mail. He noticed an envelope that was addressed to him. It wasn't a bill, he could tell by the cursive writing on the front. He was curious. He grabbed the envelope knife and opened the letter.  
  
Nick- I loved you. Did you love me?  
  
Nick looked at the letter once more. No name. He turned over the envelope and searched for a return address. No return address. 'Who the fuck can this be from?' He asked himself. He crumpled up the letter and tossed it into the small trash bin that was located by the computer. Nick leafed through the other pieces of mail as he walked into the bedroom. "Hey Jen. Your mom sent us a Christmas car..." He looked up from the mail to spy Jennifer lying on the bed only in her underwear. Red lace, to be more exact. The red lace drove him crazy. He remembered when he used to grab the lace between his teeth and run his hands up the inside of her bra. He dropped the envelopes on the floor and closed the door behind him.  
  
"Emily is sound asleep and I thought that you and I could have some time alone. Together. The waiting period is officially over." She grinned as she motioned Nick to come-hither. Nick slid his shirt off and threw it to the floor. He disrobed and opened the top drawer of their dresser. He opened the new box of condoms that he bought the week before. He was ready and didn't want wait any longer. He slowly walked over to his wife, taking in the sight that he saw before him. God was she beautiful, and he had her all to himself. He was one lucky man. Nick climbed into the bed and began kissing Jennifer slowly on the neck.  
  
He took off her bra, and removed her panties. He looked her in the eyes as he slowly entered her. He wanted to see her reaction. Would it hurt? Would she cry? Would she lovingly accept him? She did, and she didn't wince. Jennifer surrounded him and he loved it.  
  
They were finally making love. A moment in which is seemed like eternity to get here. 


	20. But I Loved Her

"Christine was my protector growing up. I was constantly picked on as a kid." Adam Henderson explained. Warrick and Catherine sat in the interrogation room along with Brass. Adam sat across from the CSI's still as a board. He knew he had been caught, but he wanted to explain his side of the story. He thought that if he did, his sentence would be nothing that of a slap on the wrists and maybe a few years in jail. "At sixteen, our parents tossed her out of the house and disowned her. She had a cocaine addiction. They said that no child of theirs would live under their roof and be a druggie." Adam could feel the tears swell up in his eyes. He loved his sister and the investigators could see it. "Two months later, I received a letter from Chris." Adam paused.  
  
"May I ask what it said?" Catherine asked as she leaned in.  
  
"She found a job as a model, and her agent was really good to her. He was helping her kick her addiction, helping her get on the straight and narrow. Christine was always a very pretty girl, ever since I could remember. Then recently she came in to town with her boyfriend Chris Warren. He was so good for her. I was so happy that my big sister finally found someone after all the years of being unhappy, after my parents kicked her out."  
  
"So what did you guys do once she got into town?" Warrick asked.  
  
"She called me as soon as she got into town. I went to the hotel she and Chris stayed in. We went to the lounge, had a late dinner and a few drinks. Christine drank nothing but water and juices. After she kicked her addiction, she treated her body like a temple." Adam disclosed to the CSI's.  
  
"The coroner discovered that she had bleeding ulcers, and that not only was she poisoned but the ulcers were slowing killing her. They were eating away at her stomach lining and it eventually led her to bleed out. Do you know how the ulcers started?" Catherine asked as she put down the brown file.  
  
"It wasn't from stress I know that. Her agent made sure that she was stress free. She didn't even have an eating disorder, unlike the other girls she worked with. She wrote once in a letter that she developed really bad stomach pains after dining one night in France. They found out it was food poisoning, but then later found out that the food poisoning kicked off the ulcers. She was on medication for the ulcers that's all I know." Adam explained.  
  
"Bacteria is also a cause of ulcers." Catherine paused. "We need you to tell us now, why you killed Carl Spencer."  
  
"My sister and I were supposed to meet up the night that she died. We was to come to a game at UNLV, and then we were going to have a late dinner. Catch up on old times, ya know? You've gotta understand that I haven't seen my sister since the day she was tossed from our parents' place. I'd see her on magazines and on TV and whatnot, but it just wasn't the same..."  
  
"Mr. Henderson, please." Catherine grumbled.  
  
"The night that my sister, Chris and I had a late dinner, we went for a walk. I noticed a bruise on her back, and she said that she fell down a set of stairs, but I knew that this bruise wasn't from taking a spill down some stairs. So I asked her if Chris did it, and she said no. And I believed her. So the next day after practice, I followed her to this place out in Henderson. She was meeting up with Carl Spencer. I watched from my car with a pair of binoculars. I knew he was abusing her and I wanted proof. I had to see it with my own eyes." Adam paused. "She was seeing him on the side. I couldn't understand why she needed to see this guy. Everything about him rubbed me the wrong way, he was just a shady character. I've heard things about this guy."  
  
"What kind of things?" Brass asked chiming in.  
  
"A few of the UNLV cheerleaders see this guy. He's a cocaine dealer, and I knew my sister wasn't seeing him for that. She vowed before God in a church that she would never do it again, and I believed her. She never wanted to go back to that state again. I'd overhear the girls saying that he owned mutli-million dollar businesses and that he was also into real estate. The real estate was true." Adam paused. "I did some digging of my own. But he was also into the escort business. He was also a pimp. My sister was never like that, she was never the hooker. Never." He said slamming his fist into the metal table. Tears began to run down his eyes. "My sister was a good girl. Then I remembered that she mentioned in a letter that she wanted to get into the real estate business to. When Christine was a teen, she loved looking at all the nice houses, she even mentioned once back then that she wanted to go to university and study management, slash retail, slash real estate, slash investing. Christine was Carl's little minion. I watched as he slapped her around. For what reasons I didn't know and I didn't care. Nobody laid a hand on my sister. Nobody."  
  
"That's when you became the protector." Warrick added. Adam nodded.  
  
"I had enough. Only seeing it once, I started to fume. I got out of my car, and marched up to his front steps. I had so much rage in me, I broke down the door. How? I can't even remember. I just did. I told Christine to leave and so I gave her my car keys. She took off, and even though she didn't say it, she was thankful that I showed up. The slap mark across her face was beginning to show. After she left I knocked Carl Spencer around, I decided to give him a dose of his own medicine. Then I left."  
  
"You left?" Brass asked. "Then how did you kill him like you said?"  
  
"While he went into his office to check on his figures, I broke into his house. I laced his coffee with cyanide. He was a complete neat freak, despite being a creep. The coffee granules were freshly in the coffee filter waiting to be brewed." Adam described.  
  
"How did you get the cyanide?" Catherine inquired.  
  
"No only am I the university star point guard, but I'm also a chem major. After cleaning up after my four hour lab that morning that I went to his house, I pocketed some in a vile, sealed the lid and drove to his house. Two hours later I came back, and the son of a bitch was dead."  
  
"Then how did he get a bullet in his head?" Warrick griped.  
  
"That I don't know. I took him to an abandoned car wreaking lot, and placed him in an ice cream truck, and drove that off to a dead end street out in Henderson. I don't know how the bullet got there."  
  
Sara knocked on the door and entered. "But I do. I got this back from Bobby D in ballistics. The bullet is from the gun of a known gang member. After being picked up, he told the arresting officer that he was in the truck to see if there was any cash. When he turned around, Carl Spencer's body popped out of the supply closet that's in the truck and scared him. He shot him point blank in the face thinking that he was alive." Sara pulled up a chair next to Adam and looked at him. "And the same cyanide that was in Carl Spencer's coffee cup, was the exact same cyanide that killed your sister. We printed the coffee cup that Carl drank out of, and you sisters lip prints were on the rim of the cup. I think that she came back to see him to say it was over, and poured her self a cup of coffee, waiting for him. After getting a violent stomach ache, she went back to her hotel and collapsed in the bed. Her ulcers were being attacked by the cyanide. Violently. Cyanide also restricts the blood vessels, which eventually cuts of oxygen to the lungs and heart, in which your sister was not only poisoned but suffocated. You didn't know it, but you killed your sister."  
  
Adam looked at the three CSI's that sat in the room, looked at Brass who was leaning against the wall, then started to cry. "I didn't mean to kill her!" He shouted through the tears.  
  
"We know you didn't Adam." Catherine said. "The DA will try to go for murder, but you'll get manslaughter. Along with your statement, you can also get a lesser sentence, how less, I'm not sure. You'll also be charged with murder one for the death of Carl Spencer."  
  
"Adam Henderson, you're under arrest for the murder of Carl Spencer and also for the death of your sister Christine Henderson." Brass said as he helped Adam to his feet. Brass reached for the cuffs and placed them around Adam's wrists.  
  
"Please tell my parents that I'm so sorry for both my actions and my sisters death. I loved her. They know that." He cried once more as Brass escorted him from the interrogation room.  
  
"That still doesn't account for the death of Tina LaCross." Sara said as she rubbed her eyes. Damn was she tired, but this case was so hot, she couldn't stop now. 


	21. Mr Stinky, we presume

"Whoa! That is one gnarly smell." Jennifer said as she walked into the crime scene with Sara. "I think it's safe to say that he or she has been here dead for more than five days."  
  
Sara scrunched up her nose and agreed. "It's amazing how the body can smell so bad after death." She paused and set down her field kit on the tape. "Nice smell to start your first day back at work huh Jen?" She laughed.  
  
"Well Sara, when you have a kid, let me know if this is nothing compared to soiled diapers." Jennifer laughed and put on a pair of gloves. "Hey David."  
  
"Hi Jen, welcome back. It's nice to see you again." He said as he pulled out the thermometer from the DB. "Liver temp is 75.4." He announced as he got up from kneeling over the body.  
  
"What?" Sara and Jen chimed in at the same time. "David, that's impossible." Jennifer said. "Is that thing there broken? Can you not smell the stench that is lingering in the air?" She asked.  
  
"Yes I can, and this is brand new." David spoke as he help up the thermometer.  
  
"So that puts his death 23 hours ago." Sara said with a puzzled look upon her face. "The body smells so bad. How could the decomp have taken so fast?"  
  
"That is left up to the both of you. I'll leave you with the body for a few more minutes before my team takes him back to the morgue. I'll see you ladies there." David smiled and walked out of the house.  
  
"So..." Sara began. "How pissed off is Nick?"  
  
"About what?" Jen asked as she began to snap pictures of the body.  
  
"Him taking over my case?" She said with a smile.  
  
"Oh that. He's okay with it I guess. He likes working solo cases." Jen remarked. "He said he can get tons of things done when it's just him."  
  
"So I've heard." Sara quipped. "Okay, so I tend to get a little emotional when it comes to crimes committed on women, but we all have our weaknesses. Your dad didn't have to take me off of it. I should have taken a chill pill."  
  
"It's okay. I get the same way with cases involving kids; especially now that I've got a child of my own. The sensitivity level has risen." Jen sighed. "Okay, you can take Stinky back to the lab now." Jen announced to the two coroners that were on site.  
  
"To bad we can't crack a window." Sara mused. "For someone who's only been dead for almost less than 24 hours really smells. What could have done that?"  
  
"Not sure, but it's really bad." Jen surveyed the living room to see if anything could catch her eye. Everything looked absolutely perfect, but to Jennifer, there was no such thing as perfect.  
  
"This could possibly be a secondary crime scene. Vic was killed elsewhere then transported here." Sara paused. "And you know what that means." Jen nodded. "Our crime scene could be a moving one, or one that has been totally destroyed."  
  
-----  
  
"See sweetheart. This stuff is really good!" Nick exclaimed to his six- month-old daughter who was sitting in her highchair in the break room. 'But it smells like crap.' He thought to himself. Emily sat there staring at her father with a careful eye. "Come on Emily. Just eat some of it, you don't have to eat it all." Nick sighed, but he was losing this battle.  
  
"Hey daddio!" Warrick said as he sauntered into the break room.  
  
"Hey man." Nick said as he looked up from Emily's eye level. "Come on Em. Just one spoon full and you can have your Banana-Strawberry thingy." Nick said.  
  
"She giving you a hard time?" Warrick asked as he grabbed a Snapple from the mini-fridge. He picked up the container from the table and commented. "Macaroni Beef. No wonder the kid doesn't want to eat. It smells like wet dog food."  
  
"Jen says she likes it, but she doesn't want to eat it while I'm feeding her." Nick replied as he moved the baby spoon near Emily's mouth. Emily moved her head away and made a little noise. "Okay, I give up." Nick sighed as he handed Emily her bottle. "I know you won't turn that away." Emily smiled as she reached for her bottle of milk. "Kids." Nick huffed. "Pickiness starts at such a young age."  
  
"So how's the case going?" Warrick asked as he took a swig of the cold beverage.  
  
"We have some leads, but that's about it. Brass is in the field doing some interviews, and I'm waiting for Em's babysitter." Nick said as he washed out the plastic bowl and put it in Emily's diaper bag.  
  
"Hello my princess!" Grissom said as he walked into the break room. Emily perked up and her bottle fell from her mouth and hit the highchair tray, spraying milk onto it. "And how is my Emily today?" He asked with an animated voice. Emily slapped her hands on the tray and bounced up and down in the seat.  
  
"Someone's excited to see you." Nick griped.  
  
"What's your problem?" Grissom asked as he pulled up a chair and sat next to his grand-daughter.  
  
"She's being fussy and won't let me feed her." Nick whined as he sat down on the couch.  
  
"That's because she's a big girl now. She can grab her spoon you know." Gil announced.  
  
"Yes I know that, but the food doesn't go in her mouth. It either goes up her nose, in her hair, or in her ears. She hasn't quite gripped the tasks of finding her mouth with the spoon yet." Nick expressed.  
  
"That will come soon enough." Grissom paused as he stood up. "Greg wanted me to tell you that your DNA is ready."  
  
"He couldn't come tell me himself?" Nick asked with sarcasm.  
  
"That's Greg for you." Warrick remarked.  
  
"Warrick are you going anywhere?" Nick asked.  
  
"No. Why?" He asked.  
  
"Can you watch Em for a while. I'll be back before her sitter gets here." Nick spoke as he rose from the couch.  
  
"Yea sure. I'll teach her how to count cards." Warrick joked.  
  
"Funny!" He laughed turning towards to his daughter, then leaned down. "I'll be back in a while sweetie. Be good for Warrick." He kissed her forehead and she smiled. "That's my girl." Nick beamed.  
  
"Go; before your head gets any bigger." Warrick laughed. 


	22. Nobody But You

"Hey Jen..." Sara yelled from the garage of the vic's home.  
  
"Yeah?" Jen asked as she entered from the kitchen.  
  
"Our vic's car is missing." Sara announced, presenting an empty spot in the garage. "The oil stain is fresh." Sara paused, looking around then back at Jen. "You know, the car could be the crime scene."  
  
"Not likely." Jen spoke.  
  
"Huh?" Sara asked.  
  
"I just luminoled the den. Blood everywhere." Jen sighed as she snapped pictures of the empty garage, then the fresh oil spot on the cement. "Most of it was contained to the east wall which suggests that our victim was standing infront of it. There was also a large stain on the carpet, which means he fell immediately to the floor."  
  
"So then, how did he get from the den to the living room? If he lost a quite large amount of blood, he wouldn't have been able to be mobile. Large volume of blood that was found when you sprayed, suggests that he was more than likely weak." Sara guessed. "So the killer moved him. But how?"  
  
-----  
  
"You're kidding me, right Greg?" Nick asked with a vexatious look on upon his face.  
  
"Nick," Greg sighed loudly and angrily, "these machines never lie. What you are holding in your hands, is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." Greg paused. "Cheap way to end the case huh?"  
  
"Yea." Nick said scrubbing his face with one hand. "But it happens. Later." Nick walked down the hall at a feverous pace. He pulled out his cell and punched in Brass' number. "Brass, it's Nick. You can call of the hounds. The case just officially ended."  
  
-----  
  
"Who turned on the heat?" O'Riely quipped as he walked in to the house.  
  
"No one." Jen said. "It's been like this all day. The A/C is off, so the heat from outside is coming in, everytime someone comes in and out by opening the door. I bet this place isn't properly insulated anyways."  
  
"The heat is on." Sara exclaimed looking at the electronic thermostat in the hallway. "98 degrees." Sara stated as she pushed the button. "No wonder he smells bad. The heat was providing the deteration to progress faster than normal, and the heat also kept the body heat from declining rapidly." Sara picked up her camera and snapped a few pictures, then noted the findings in her book.  
  
"Kevin Appleton, aged 27, resident of Las Vegas, born in Riverside, California, moved here 10 years ago after graduating from high school to attend Western UNLV." O'Riely spoke reading off his notes that were jotted down on his note pad. "And the car that is missing is a blue 2001 Toyota Camry. I've got an APB out on it as we speak."  
  
"Thanks O'Riely." Jen said as she finished collecting as much evidence as she could when he pager went off. She quickly glanced over it and turned to Sara. "Body is at the coroners. I'm gonna head over there right now."  
  
"Keep me posted." Sara said.  
  
"Will do." Jen said with half smile as she trotted out the door, evidence and field kit in tow.  
  
-----  
  
"So Romeo and Juliet." Brass said as he walked out with Nick from his office. "Well, more like Juliet and Juliet."  
  
"Yeah." Nick sighed. "She killed herself because her lover was seeing a man on the side."  
  
"How did you find the online journal?" Jim asked Nick.  
  
"Archie found it in her computer files. Everytime you log into a website, your computer downloads the address onto the hard drive. Now some people try to rid the site by washing the computer out with some file eraser or they erase the history, but it doesn't work." Nick said.  
  
"But, putting your feelings out on an online journal site?" Brass paused. "What ever happened to the journals that you hide underneath mattresses?"  
  
"I guess she didn't want anyone finding it." Nick said as he waved to Brass and headed to the locker room. "Hey baby." Nick said.  
  
"Hey." Jen smiled as she wrapped her arms around Nick and gave him a kiss.  
  
"Where've you been?" Nick asked after letting go, opening his locker door.  
  
"Crime scene." Jen paused. "Make that one smelly crime scene. Just came back from seeing Doc. My vic was shot point blank in the heart, causing it to explode upon impact." Jen paused. "I ran into Warrick. Filled me in on your case. Suprising."  
  
"You can say that again." Nick sighed. "Oh and what's with the love notes?" Nick asked holding up a white envelope.  
  
"What love notes?' Jen asked back. "I haven't been sending you any love notes. Nick, we've been over this. I haven't been sending you anything."  
  
"Well this one was in my locker when I came in here earlier." Nick said handing it over to Jen.  
  
It read:  
  
My dearest Nicky,  
  
I see your face and I think of how it could have been, I loved you more than you could have known. My heart aches when I think of you, missing you more and more each day. I miss you being inside of me, wondering what could have been.  
  
"Who the hell wrote this?" Jen fumed as she searched for a return address. There was none. Must have been dropped off anonyamously.  
  
"It could be an old girlfriend." Nick sighed and pulled Jen closer. She was obviously upset. Some girl missing Nick being inside of her. "Jen, but it doesn't matter anymore. I love you and only you." Nick kissed her forehead. "You and I share so much. We have eachother, we have Emily. Nothing, and I mean nothing will tear us apart. Okay?" Nick asked, Jen nodding. "Good." He smiled. ----------  
  
Authors Note: This is the end of "Knowing Mr. Spencer". This story (Jen & Sara's case; the mysterious notes) will continue in a new published story. 


End file.
